The Tie that Binds
by Cave Canis
Summary: Spock is assigned the duty of transporting a lovely lady to her destiny. Along the way they share some special moments. Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own the characters of Star Trek.


**The Tie that Binds**

The _Enterprise_ sped to the rendezvous coordinates sent by Starfleet Command. They were to beam aboard a passenger from the Kelvin Colony, a group of alien settlers only recently in treaty with a former enemy after a lengthy protracted war that had lasted several generations. Kirk learned that the passenger, a member of the Royal household named Lara, was a young woman who would not only serve to deliver the accommodating terms to the victors but was herself the spoils to be claimed.

In his ready room he finished reading the protocols for transporting Lara to her knew home. The door chime sounded and the Captain replied to the hail.

"Come." Spock entered the ready room carrying a PADD.

"Spock, I wanted to talk to you about this upcoming escort duty you've been assigned. Sit down, please."

"Captain, I am pleased to be of service," said Spock, taking the seat across from Kirk.

"What do we know of this race of colonists on Kelvin?" asked Kirk.

"They are very interesting beings, Captain. They were marooned on this planet when their spacecraft was disabled after entering this galaxy. Their mythology claims they are from the Andromeda system. However by my calculations travel between that galaxy and this one would have to be multi-generational as the minimum travel time with our present technology would be close to 1000 years." he paused, seeing the look of amazement cross the captain's face.

"Perhaps the Kelvin colonists are very long lived Mr. Spock," offered Kirk.

"It is certain they are uniquely adaptable as they appear on Kelvin in corporeal form but…" he paused as if to gather the thought, "I understand that the Princess Lara will revert to an amorphous state once she is on Chromis." He tilted his head slightly and continued. "It is presumed that both the inhabitants of Chromis and Kelvin are of the same ilk. The species apparently separated after some dispute, political but also mythological. The group that went to Chromis chose to remain ethereal."

"So their species are of the same origin but in two different forms?" Spock nodded affirmative.

"There is no known precedent or logical explanation for this kind of transformation. However, as we have seen many times on our exploration of space, the reality does not always seem… logical," said Spock blandly.

"What is clear in the documents for the treaty is that the royal household of Kelvin will be absorbed into the House of Chromis and by this action a generations old conflict will be end."

"Anything else we need to know Mr. Spock?" asked Kirk.

"The proper form of address for our passenger is Princess Lara or _M'am_. Kirk nodded his understanding. Then as an afterthought Spock added, "We will be the first humanoids to meet the Kelvins sir," added the fist officer.

"Do we know what they look like?" Spock looked thoughtful for a moment and then replied, "According to a report from the Sulamid ambassador, Meshav, they are thought to be quite…" he paused, "attractive."

"Coming from Meshav that is quite a compliment," Kirk smiled, thinking of the Sulamid who, made of a crystalline substance in the form of an eight legged spider herself, was known somewhat as a curmudgeon and not for her compliments.

"Mr. Spock. I would like you to transport our passenger to her destination." He waited for sign from Spock that he disagreed but seeing none, he went on, "Meshav will meet you there and handle the final treaty negotiations on Chromis." Spock tapped notes on his PADD but didn't look up. Except for Meshav, you will be the only _corporeal_ being there Spock, I trust you can handle it." Kirk stood up and walked to the viewing window and watched the stars fly by.

"Affirmative Captain. It is important that this union be achieved," replied Spock. "The two parties have made a treaty, the Princess Lara is the prize and so she must go to her new life," he finished matter of factly.

"She is scheduled to beam aboard any minute. I believe we ought to proceed to the transporter Mr. Spock," Kirk said. "How many in her party?"

"She is traveling alone without maids or chaperones, Captain," replied Spock as they exited the ready room and walked toward the hallway leading to the transporter room.

"Is that a problem?" Kirk resisted the inclination to wink, knowing it would be lost on his first officer, which was precisely why he had chosen Spock for this delicate task.

"No. Proper protocol and appearances will be maintained," said the first officer.

"I hope they will," said Kirk.

"Indeed, sir. I share your hope as I would not want to start an intergalactic war over a woman."

"Earth's history is full of wars started over women, Spock," replied Kirk as the two men entered Transporter Room 1.

"Yes the famous _Helen of Troy_ I believe is the most well known for that," offered Spock as the two assumed a position by the transporter control panel. They both stared at the transporter deck and Kirk whispered aside to Spock.

"If anyone can remain immune to a beautiful lady, you can."

"I will do my best Captain." The whirling lights of the transporter beam brightened the room for a moment and a figure materialized before them. The boson's whistle signaled her arrival.

"I'm sure you will Mr. Spock," said the Captain wryly.

The woman who emerged from the transporter deck was of medium height, a little over 1.6 meters. What bit of her hair was visible under her mantle type hood was dark. Only her hands and face were visible but her skin seemed to be very pale, almost luminescent and her lips were full and were shaped in what was often called a "cupid's bow" their deep red coloration a striking contrast to her fair skin. She had light colored eyes which were framed by gracefully arched brows, giving her a decidedly regal look.

The rest of her was hidden by her costume which was loose and floor length, made of a blue fabric with motifs worked into the weave of it. For a moment Kirk wasn't sure if she had completely materialized, such was her translucent appearance.

She stepped off the transporter platform and offered her outstretched hand to Captain Kirk, which he took, assisting her down from the pad.

"Welcome to the _Enterprise_, Princess Lara. I'm Captain James T. Kirk, at your service. This is Commander Spock, who will be your pilot on your journey to Chromis." Spock inclined his head but did not offer his hand.

"How do you do Captain?" she responded in perfect Standard Federation, then in Vulcan, "Commander Spock, thank you very much. I hope I won't be too much of a bother for you."

"I'm sure you will not your M'am," Spock replied in Vulcan clearly surprised that she addressed him in his native tongue. It was Kirk's turn to raise an eyebrow at the shock that fleetingly registered on Spock's normally placid face.

"Would you like to see your quarters?" asked Kirk as the three of them walked out of the transporter room, Spock walking behind the Captain and the Princess.

"Thank you Captain, I would." Turning to Spock she asked, this time in Standard Federation, "How long before we leave for Chromis Commander Spock?"

"We are scheduled to leave at 0600, 10 hours from now," he replied, "at which time the _Enterprise_ will have taken us into Chromis space. We will be traveling on a smaller craft till we reach the rendezvous point with the flagship _Dorclan_."

"Very well. I'll be pleased to rest in my quarters till then," she responded as they reached the turbo lift. She looked more closely at her pilot. "Commander Spock, are you not fully Vulcan?"

"I am only half Vulcan, M'am," Spock replied a little taken aback at her query. "Captain… M'am, I must see to the readiness of our spacecraft. If you will excuse me," he said nodding to both Kirk and the Princess.

Kirk showed her to the quarters reserved for dignitaries and special guests of the _Enterprise_.

"Thank you Captain. This will be quite suitable," she said on entering the spacious, comfortable accommodations. They stood there looking at one another for only a second and the Princess offered a light laugh. "Please don't let me keep you from your duties," she said. He inclined his head to her and smiled.

"If you need anything, please use the con." He pointed to the control panel in the table top. "Well, if you're sure don't need me… I should get back to the bridge," he said suddenly feeling like a school boy. She was very compelling.

He didn't envy Spock's upcoming mission. But he was damn glad it was Spock and not he who would have to spend 24 hours alone with the Princess.

Aboard the _Houdini_ Spock stowed his kit containing his dress uniform and the other minimal items of clothing and toiletries he expected to need on the mission.

The small spacecraft was designed for speed and stealth, much like a personal yacht but without the luxury accommodations. It would adequately hold two people in small, separate quarters and Spock would man the helm and all controls alone.

For the next 9 hours and 39 minutes he went over each system, checking off functions as he assured himself of their working order. At the end of the process, he put the engines on "_standby_."

Spock adjusted the environmental controls and spoke to the control panel by the personnel hatch.

"Computer, standby for departure in 21 minutes."

"_Command received, Cmdr. Spock_." replied the voice accompanied by a softening of the coil noise to almost a purr.

Satisfied that everything was ready for takeoff he exited the craft and waited for the Captain and his passenger to arrive. He saw them coming through the shuttle bay doors and noted that the captain looked in his element leading the Princess Lara to the _Houdini_ like a knight leading his fair maiden, his smile for her genuine and easy.

She too looked like a fair maiden in some epic story. Her step was light and fluid and her round face and suggested a lushness that was very alluring. She was quite unlike any of the women he had see on Terran soil during his Academy years and nothing at all like the women of Vulcan who, like himself, were spare and lean.

As Kirk handed him the small piece of luggage he presumed belonged to the Princess, a small, niggling emotion rose in Spock. It was so unfamiliar he let rise up in his mind for just a second to identify it more clearly.

"_Envy_," he thought. He would meditate on this at a later time to make sure it stayed buried with all the other emotions inside him. It was unflattering to think he envied Jim Kirk in any way. He admitted that the Lady Lara was indeed a pleasant sight and he was intrigued that her perceptive skills. Very few people recognized the hybrid status of his breeding, fewer remarked on it. No one had elicited this new feeling in him.

The Captain escorted the Princess to her quarters and was about to exit the _Houdini_ when he stopped.

"The Princess is safely stowed in her cabin…." he hesitated, "Spock."

"Sir?" Spock replied without looking up from the control panel in the cockpit. Kirk started to warn his friend about the dangers of beautiful women, and then he thought better of it. It was Spock, not he, who would have to resist the Princess. There was no need to worry.

"Nevermind." He saluted casually and went through the hatch saying, "Safe journey."

"Thank you Captain," replied Spock, as the hatch closed and the _Houdini's_ engines revved up for takeoff.

Spock piloted the craft out of the shuttle bay into open space and after making sure that all systems were optimal he set course for Chromis and tapped it into the computer. He calculated the rendezvous point where they would meet the ship from Chromis and settled in to read from his PADD, the treaty and the required actions on his part of the ceremony that would seal the negotiations of the union between these two races.

He also read again the documents he had obtained regarding the Kelvin beings ability to transform from corporal to ethereal beings. He suspected from the literature that this was how they had traveled from the distant galaxy of Andromeda which they claimed had been their home before the Kelvin settlement.

Their transformation appeared to be a very sophisticated form of mind over matter but with one caveat. They were only able to transform to ethereal being once and could never transform back afterward.

He had observed that the Princess Lara seemed to be quite content to be in the physical body at present, but he knew looks often told little of the complete story.

He again felt something stir in him, an acknowledgement that his passenger was indeed _beautiful_, but it too, like the little feeling of _envy_, was banished as soon as it arose in him.

By the time all systems had been checked and checked again, they had been in open space for several hours. As per a normal flight routine Spock put the spacecraft on autopilot where it would remain for the next 12 hours before he would re-examine the coordinates and make any course corrections. For some of the Starfleet officers this time would seem pleasantly boring, tempting them to relax and "enjoy the view."

But for Spock, the lack of the need for his constant piloting of the _Houdini_, meant that he could return to his most recent personal project, that of calculating a set of algorithms for Mr. Scott in engineering. If successful, the desired readjustments to the warp core would result in a more efficient use of power throughout the ship. He appreciated the luxury of quiet deep space to apply his mind to the problem.

Without warning the _Houdini_ shuddered and rolled violently to port, the impact from which threw Spock from his seat and sent him flying across the small command center.

He hit the main bulkhead with his back and then was pitched as sharply to starboard and forward, hitting his head on the corner of the control console. He landed on the floor of the small bridge but remained conscious, though the breath was knocked out of him for a few seconds. Alarms started going off on the console telling him the pitch and yaw stabilizers of the spacecraft were disengaged and that they were tumbling end over end and rotating all at the same time. He reached one hand up to the con panel and shut off the gravity control in hope that if he was weightless at least he might not become seriously injured in the cockpit.

He tried to reach the communication console to speak to Princess Lara but even his long reach wasn't enough. He grabbed on to the safety rail at the side of the hatch and hung on.

The next alarm he heard was the environmental control system.

"_Life support at 60%... life support at 50%... life support at 40%..."_ He used all his strength to reach for the back of the pilot's seat and made sure his grip was tight before letting go of the safety rail. Inching his way to the console he hit a series of touchpads until he heard the familiar voice of the computer deliver better news.

"_Engines offline. Remaining power routed to life support._" Then after a slight pause, "_Life support level at 50%... life support level at 60%... life support level at 70%..." _Satisfied that the craft was going to stabilize the most elementary of their needs, he reached for another section of the panel and touched another pad.

"Princess Lara, can you hear me?" He got no reply from her quarters.

The _Houdin_i stopped pitching and yawing and in a few seconds the view from the cockpit indicated to him that they were floating "_flat and level_," an improvement to be sure.

He quickly reset the controls to achieve gravity in increments lest his passenger be dropped from floating inside the craft to the floor. Then, when he could walk, he quickly left the cockpit and headed down the short corridor to her quarters.

He approached the door but it didn't open automatically.

"Princess Lara, can you hear me? Are you injured?" he said hoping she would hear him through the closed door as he tapped a series of reset codes into the panel to one side of the door. A voice from inside the cabin responded.

"Yes Mr. Spock. I hear you. What has happened?"

"I repeat, are you injured in any way?" he said with some urgency in his voice.

"No, I do not believe I am injured," came her reply. "Have we been in an accident?" He had nearly reset the door command when he realized that something warm was oozing down into his right eye. He touched it and saw the green blood on his finger. He also felt the stab of pain in his shoulder just as the door of Lara's quarter's hissed open.

He stepped inside the cabin though in the low emergency lighting he had to narrow his eyes to see her standing in front of him.

He turned to the console just inside the door and tapped in another group of reset codes, bringing the environmental lighting up to 60%.

The room was a toppled mess as, unlike the cockpit, several pieces of the furniture were not bolted to the cabin floor.

Lara stood in front of him looking up at his bloodied face.

"Mr. Spock, you are bleeding I believe, please let me look at that," she said reaching out for his arm. He moved slightly to prevent her from touching him.

"I am only slightly injured… there is no need…" he began to say, but she stopped him with her voice.

"Mr. Spock!" she spoke commandingly, reminding him that she was a lady whose commands usually did not go unheeded. She turned away from him and up righted a chair beside the sleeping platform. "Come here and let me look at your eye."

He touched it again and knew she was correct; it needed tending if only to confirm that it was not more serious than it appeared to be. He took a step toward the chair but she pointed with her finger, indicating that he should sit on the sleeping platform.

He sat down obediently as she went quickly to the refresher and returned with a small first aid kit.

She sat in the chair facing him and opened the kit on the bed beside him.

"Please allow me to inspect your eye Commander," she said quite formally. He leaned forward so that their eyes were level with one another, resting his forearms on his thighs. His shoulder sent sharp, jabbing pain through him again. He didn't flinch at the pain but the moment Lara touched his face he shrank back from her.

Her touch was like lightening, surging through him alarmingly.

"I am so sorry Commander, I didn't intend to cause you more pain," she said backing away a few inches. "I'll be more careful." She touched a sterile swab to the blood which she now saw was from a cut above his eye. Though it was a bit swollen, once she cleaned the blood from it she could see that it would heal with little or no scarring.

"Please…" he brought his hand up to take her wrist and push her away.

Lara felt it then too, the electric current that passed between them as he grabbed her wrist.

His movement was so swift it startled her and she looked into his dark eyes for a sign that he would not harm her. He softened them when he saw her concern and nodded releasing her wrist from his grasp.

"Please forgive me, I am not accustomed to…" then losing his mental focus on subduing the pain in his shoulder, he grimaced. She noticed it at once and leaned to one side to see the injury.

His uniform shirt was ripped away from his upper arm at the back of his deltoid and a long gash there was still bleeding. Another cut, not as deep, showed through the torn fabric on his right dorsal muscle and she saw that the blue velour stained with his dark green blood was stuck to the wound.

"You are cut there," she said quite seriously. She touched his shoulder gently. He drew in his breath again from the touch of her hand against his bare skin, not the pain.

She poured a clear liquid disinfectant on a towel she'd brought with the kit. She pressed the towel to his shoulder, dabbing it and pulling the fabric away as she removed the blood which was congealing quickly around the edges of the wound.

"Commander, I need to see the wound to treat it. It would be wise to remove your shirt before the blood dries completely." Her request was logical.

Spock removed both his outer uniform shirt and the black undershirt revealing an array of green bruises already coming up on his chest and arms, obviously the result of his tumbling around the cockpit before he had engaged the antigrav control.

He tried to refocus on the accident instead of his growing emotional response to her touch but just her nearness sent a shiver through him that raised gooseflesh on his arms and chest. He took a deep breath and released it.

"I do not know what has happened to our craft," he said sounding calmer than he actually felt. Her position so close to him was wreaking havoc with his senses. As she stood and leaned over him he couldn't help but breathe in the scent of her and when the fabric of her dress brushed against his chest he felt his nipples contract with pleasure. He set his jaw and continued speaking.

"I have reset our environmental controls and I will endeavor to repair…" he felt her fingers lightly touch his shoulder at the edge of the long cut and it caused him to suck in his breath and hold it. He felt a warmth in his spine and the current coursing through him from her hands nearly drove him mad.

What was it about her that was causing him such anxiety? Could she also feel it or was it just him? Nothing in his research had indicated that the Kelvins were touch telepaths so why was her touch so disturbing? Or was it just from the concussive blow that he was unable to suppress the uncomfortable feelings he was experiencing? He held himself as still as granite and tried to focus on the accident that had befallen them.

The Princess cleaned the cuts and applied a spray from the first aid kit. To Spock its cooling sensation was in direct opposition to her fire-laden touch on his skin.

Lara contemplated the Vulcan's responses to her ministrations. Her touch obviously produced a fierce response in him. She dismissed the possibility that she was causing him physical pain. Then the truth struck her. He didn't want to be touched at all.

She realized suddenly that she was filled with longing, but her desire was to touch and be touched not to withdraw from it. "_How could someone would wish otherwise_?" she thought.

She felt him draw away from her even when he was sitting completely still. Yet she felt something else too, was it fear or arousal?

She looked directly into his eyes again for several seconds trying to ascertain what kind of creature was this Vulcan. His eyes were so dark she could not see where the iris and pupil divided. Again a surge of longing rose up in her, but she used all her strength to maintain a courteous distance and finished tending to the abrasions quickly. His nearness clearly evoked something in her.

"Mr. Spock," she said with a light laugh, "I didn't expect our flight to be this…. exciting."

"Nor did I," he said under his breath his uniform shirts clutched tightly in his hands. He had to retreat from her hands and her eyes which were the brightest crystalline blue he had ever seen. "Will you be all right until I return?" he asked getting up from the sleeping platform quickly. He walked through door not even bothering to put on his undershirt.

"Yes, of course," she replied but he was gone before he could have heard.

Outside the cabin door Spock stopped and leaned heavily against the bulkhead, gulping breaths into his lungs. He felt as if he had run a foot race, his heart was beating hard and he again wondered if he had a mild concussion from the impact. He was not ignorant of his own body but after so many years of keeping these irrational reactions under control almost without fail, he had to take stock of himself.

It was very un-Vulcan for him to respond to the simple beauty one might possess. In the Princess he had sensed something deeply kind which spoke to him in some other way. The living warmth she radiated made him hungry for it, for her. This was not something he had felt for a long time. His rational mind understood that this woman was not one whom he could have he only had to convince the rest of him that it was so.

Lara restored the cabin to order as much as she could. It was no luxury accommodation to be sure so there were no nick-nacs to be broken nor books to be reshelved. She returned the small medical kit to the refresher cabinet and washed her face and hands.

She sat for a time just thinking on what had happened since the accident. She wasn't frightened by it, though she knew they were in some peril. She believed her enigmatic companion would solve the problem before assistance, beyond a simple med kit, was even needed.

She sat down on the sleeping platform and looked out the viewing portal, thinking about her fate and about Spock.

He was clearly an accomplished officer but he lacked the warmth and interest she had experienced from Captain Kirk. At first she wondered if she had done something to offend Spock. Perhaps speaking Vulcan to him had upset him in someway.

She had been struck almost immediately by his looks, which she found immensely pleasing. His eyes were so dark, unlike her own, and his face serene. And his body was long and lean again unlike the men of her planet who were more round and fleshy.

But in that nanosecond before he had put up all of his mental defenses she had glimpsed something in him that was unexpected. There was a moment of longing there and then it was gone. As if he had a way to lock away his feelings and shield himself from everyone else's too. The insight made her feel very sad. For a brief moment she wondered if she would be like Spock in another few years, void of emotions, suppressing them to the point of emptiness.

Spock returned to the cockpit and tried to hail the _Enterprise_. The communications system was completely inoperative but he was able to initiate the hailing beacon which he set to a Federation frequency, hoping that someone within its range would catch the signal and at least relay it to _Enterprise_.

He went through a series of elementary scans and system tests to ascertain what had happened to the _Houdini_. Without risking their life support systems he couldn't run the analytical diagnostics that would tell him more. There appeared to be no known cause of the severe jolt they had experienced, which had rendered the small craft basically adrift.

Accepting that he might never know the cause, he committed himself to the repair of the engines and the external communications system. He wasn't comfortable with their being this far out in space with no weapons and no engines. But after four hours and seventeen minutes he was no closer to a solution than when he had sat down at the control panel. His shoulder ached along with a portion of his ribcage and his left thigh. As he contemplated leaving the problem for a few hours rest, the inter craft com sounded.

"Commander Spock, have you found the problem?"

"No, regrettably I have not. However, I do not believe we are in any immediate danger," he replied.

"I am very glad to hear that." After a moment she added, "I wondered if you were getting hungry. I believe I have found some palatable food in my cabin."

Spock knew there were emergency rations aboard. He had ordered them stored and had checked them himself the previous day. One never knew when a replicator might malfunction. His own weakness for Vulcan Spice Tea had led him to indulge in making sure there was a tin of it stashed away onboard.

"You are correct Princess, we should eat something and I would like to rest for a few hours before I return to the problem of our damaged vessel."

"Then you will come when you are ready," she replied and signed off.

Spock left the cockpit of the _Houdini_ for his cabin. The small berth was comfortable in a Spartan kind of way. He lit the small candle he took from his duffle and placed it on the floor beside the sleeping platform. Sitting down cross-legged on the floor he started his meditation by concentrating on the flame of the candle, trying to center his mind on the flickering light. In moments he was in a trance like state where he could see the chambers in his mind, each along a different path as if he was walking through a familiar park.

Each aspect of his life was compartmentalized where he could visit, examine and contemplate it. He first visited the maze of equations, calculations and scientific tasks he had been thinking of all day. Calm and satisfied he had indeed done everything he could do to affect a rescue of the _Houdini_ and her two passengers, he went on to other areas.

The chamber of his emotions was always a difficult one for him to enter. His upbringing on Vulcan hadn't allowed for the expression of any emotion, indeed his every effort had been to learn to suppress if. He knew this had been a source of great pain for his mother who had tried without ceasing to reach him on that level.

He remembered a time in his youth when he and his father had walked the edge of the vast Forge, the Vulcan desert that claimed the souls and many of the lives of those who tried to traverse it. They had stopped to rest from the effort of walking under the bright sun when he had seen the rare, bright blue Lara, a bird native to Vulcan. He had watched it soar above the desert until it seemed to vanish into the brightness of the sun.

He had felt a sense of sadness when it disappeared but his father had admonished him by saying that it was the Lara's destiny to fly away. His mind moved along till the thought of this Lara came to him, vivid and alive and so near. He knew that his feelings were confused regarding her. He was so often able to push aside and negate any type of emotion connected with other people. His interests were mostly academic but occasionally as with Lara he found himself pulled toward certain women.

He explored his own motives, understanding that for humans, sexual gratification and physical release were all too common in most people. But for a Vulcan, even a half Vulcan, those feelings seemed petty and not worthy of close scrutiny. He had kept them hidden within himself for most of his life, treating them as insignificant. As long as they stayed insignificant.

Something about Lara disturbed him. He examined their encounters over the past few hours and kept returning to the emotion she evoked in him when tending his cuts and bruises. He had definitely felt a yearning for her and was yet repulsed by her touch, no doubt the result of years of mind control. But here in this place in his mind where all was laid bare, he had to admit, he was not repulsed at all. He wanted her to touch him and he wanted to touch her as illogical as it was.

Her compassion fascinated and attracted him. He had run into other women who expressed concern, affection or attraction to him over the years, but in nearly all cases he had been able to deny his desire to participate in those emotions. This was different.

Lara's compassion for him was of an altruistic nature. Her kindness was without guile and that was very attractive to him. He also knew she was enroute to a life wherein she would transform from a corporeal being to an ethereal one and he understood from the treaty documents he'd read, she was nothing more to her affianced than the spoils of victory over her people. Hers would be a life without passion or love.

In some ways her situation reminded him of his mother's when she chose to make a life on Vulcan with Sarek, to live in a society that would never accept her open gaiety or sorrow.

Like a flash of lightning he understood… he was experiencing compassion for her in return. In much the same way as he had lived a life of self-enforced emotional isolation, she was about to enter that same existence, but not by choice as Amanda had chosen. Lara's singular sacrifice would end the strife for many.

Did the needs of many outweigh the needs of the few or the one? It was an old argument he often had with himself.

Was it fair for her to be asked to give up a life full and rich with love and passion for the well being of her people? It didn't matter if it was fair or not, she was just part of larger plan.

He had no evidence that she was unhappy about her destiny. It was no business of his what she chose. His only role in her life was to deliver her safely into the hands of her new husband, whatever that might entail.

After about an hour or seeking his peace, Spock rose from the meditative position and dressed in the only extra clothing he had brought, apart from a dress uniform and his shredded day uniform. He donned the long Vulcan resting robe he pulled from his kit and then took from a small pocket in the side seam of the robe a sash with which to secure the robe around his waist.

He hadn't taken the dark gray robe out of his storage locker for some time and now he smoothed the sash in his hands looking at the symbols his mother had embroidered on it before he left for Starfleet Academy. He touched it lightly with his long fingers, remembering the day she had given it to him. He had been embarrassed about the gift, considering it a frivolous thing. When she had tied it around him he had shrugged her off with little explanation other than to repeat the oft spoken admonition of "_mother, please_." And he had seen the light go out of her eyes at his slight.

Touching her handiwork now that she was gone, he asked himself what kind of thing he was that he could have rebuffed the woman who loved him so truly. The shame he felt was real and for once he didn't try to push it aside but embraced it. She had not deserved his reproach for loving him.

Lara spent the next hour gathering together what fresh foodstuffs she could find in the small galley. Satisfied she had put together enough to feed them both she decided to change from her traveling garments into something more comfortable.

The jewel encrusted gown she would wear when meeting the Chromis delegation was packed safely away below decks. She opened the flap of her personal luggage and pulled out a long garment; a soft gray wool robe which fell modestly to her feet. Accompanying the robe was a long sash she had embroidered with many of the symbols of her people, things she didn't want to forget in the long years ahead, far away from everyone and everything she had ever known. She fingered the raised embroidery on the fabric, each motif reminding her of something special. She wrapped the sash around her waist and tied it on one side then waited for Spock to return.

When Spock entered the small cabin he was immediately struck by her appearance. The traveling costume she had been wearing revealed nothing about her except face and hands. Now, dressed in a simpler outfit he saw that she didn't have the svelte body that seemed the norm of most humanoid females. She was rounder, more full and feminine, and seemed to move with a natural grace he found attractive.

Her hair was black, and loosed from the severe hood she'd worn before, it cascaded around her face and shoulders in waves and ringlets. He had an immediate desire to put his hands in the bramble of curls, to bring them to his face and smell them. It was an illogical response and he sought to regain his composure.

"Commander, please come in," she said, "I've found some food I hope will be suitable."

"Thank you Highness," he said.

He stepped to the small table mounted to the bulkhead and saw that she had prepared two plates of dried fruits and some bread. Beside them stood two mugs from which steam arose. Immediately he smelled the familiar aroma of his Vulcan spice tea and for the first time in several hours he relaxed his posture.

"Mr. Spock, is that the hint of a smile I see?" asked Lara noticing the very small upturn at the corners of his mouth. "Tea?" she handed him one of the mugs. He took it from her hand, his fingers slightly grazing hers in the transfer. Again, the current shot through him, the confusion of feelings entered his mind for a frozen second.

"Princess Lara," he began.

"Please, call me Lara. I don't believe we are in need of formality on our little lifeboat." She said, taking a seat at the small table and motioning for him to take the other one.

"Thank you, Lara" he said again, the enjoyment of her name on his lips mingling with the flavor of the aromatic tea.

"I have checked all the systems aboard. Though I do not know how we have ended up in this state of drift, but we appear to be in no immediate danger.

"Then we should relax and wait for rescue?" she asked, her left eyebrow arching gracefully.

Spock, unaccustomed to relaxation except when meditating, had to agree there was little they could do now but wait.

"In a manner of speaking, yes, we can… relax," he replied.

"Excellent, I would love to hear more about the adventures you surely have experienced on a starship."

"There have been some missions more eventful than others," he replied. At that she laughed, the sound of it floating in the air between them. She had a very pleasing laugh thought Spock, and again the image of the Lara bird came to his mind bringing with it a sense of pleasure.

For the next two hours they talked. Spock explained about the destruction of his planet some years ago. He saw that tears brightened her eyes when he told her of the deaths of nearly all his race at the hands of Nero. Again he was taken with her compassion and it registered something in him that was at one and the same time both unfamiliar and intimate. To change to subject he asked her about her own world, about which so little was known. She sat back in her chair and smoothed the fabric of her robe across her lap.

"We arrived in this galaxy together, my people, and those who now live on Chromis. My ancestors chose to live in corporeal form, to experience life on Kelvin as humanoids. Our cousins felt we were making a mistake and defying our teaching by doing so and in time they left Kelvin to pursue a home world of their own. I think my people had been amorphous for so long, they simply wanted to experience and feel things on a more substantial level, for want of a better reason. The journey from Andromeda system was very, very long. A wistful look came over her face.

"I think they wanted to feel real to each other," she said remembering her parent's hugs and kisses before she left home.

Spock could not help but think of the Vulcans who had fled the teachings of Surak for deep space centuries ago. His own cousins had inhabited Romulus ever since, evolving into their own race with completely separate cultures and customs. He understood the similarity of the conflicts between their planets.

"Mr. Spock, do you have a family? A wife, or children?" she asked innocently enough. He shook his head, the image of his failed relationship with Nyota Uhura and a few others leaping to his consciousness.

"No. It would not be wise for me to bind myself to someone as I have a commitment to my work and to Starfleet." He thought of the many times his mother was left alone and isolated on Vulcan when his father traveled across the galaxy on his ambassadorial duties. He thought of the times when he had left Nyota for missions that kept him away for long periods of time. The familiar guilty feeling appeared and he banished it.

"Perhaps you are right," offered Lara, "but it does seem like a lonely existence."

"Lonely?" Spock was about to debate the issue with the Princess but anger stopped him. How could she understand what he wanted or needed? Before he could check his own words he said a bit harshly, "Vulcans do _not_ feel loneliness."

"What _do_ Vulcans feel Mr. Spock?"

It was a loaded question especially in the company of this woman who brought out in him feelings he normally squashed to the inner most workings of his mind. For a long moment he said nothing, finding no words to express himself.

Lara realized she had ventured into territory where she was unwelcome and to relieve him of whatever discomfort she had caused with her last remark she said, "Come let me take a look at your injuries if you are finished eating." She arose from the chair beside him and walked to the refresher returning once more with the med kit and a clean towel.

She looked at him innocently and raised her eyebrows in a question.

"Are you coming?"

He walked to the platform and was about to sit down when she stopped him.

"Those designs, they are beautiful…." She said pointing to the embroidered sash he wore around his waist. "Are these symbols of your home?" He looked down at the sash.

"Yes," he said, but stopped short of telling her who had made them.

"Mine also," she said lifting the ends of the fabric belt that circled her waist to show him the embroidered motifs from her world. Wistfully she touched the motifs, "I made this for remembrance. I never wanted to forget my home or the people I love."

Spock would never really know what caused him to do what he did next, though he would examine his motives and actions for many years to come.

He leaned down to her and put his lips on hers, waiting for the surge of current to pass between them not caring what violation of protocol he might be committing.

Her mouth parted in response to him and he answered it with a deeper kiss, this time breathing in her scent.

He felt the rush of feeling pass through him from her lips. The wellspring of compassion in her changed color and became pure passion. His hands found her face and his lips found her throat which he covered with his kisses. Something he had not felt in many years came over him, lust and hunger for a closeness with another being. He pushed her back against the bulkhead and pressed his body against hers.

She responded to him, her soft lips seeking his mouth with a soft moan.

Her hands pulled at the sash around his waist, working the knot until it and his body was free of the constraint of fabric and custom.

Spock responded to her touch on his bare skin with a shudder that shot through him like a photon torpedo. He found the tie of her sash untying it, and slipped his fingers into the opening, revealing her soft female flesh. He pulled her against him feeling her warm breasts round and soft against his chest. Her breathing quickened as he touched her as did his own.

The robes discarded, Lara and Spock lowered themselves to the floor in a slow motion ballet of caresses.

For Spock the act of sex was not a casual labor but an act of intimacy in which he had seldom indulged. The longing he had felt for Lara translated now into heat and desire as she welcomed him into her body. Even in the ardent touches they exchanged there was no haste but instead an unhurried craving he wished to savor.

But eventually, his self control, put to a maximum test of will, ebbed away as he felt himself fall into the deep well of their hunger for each other.

Lara felt his urgency and met it by wrapping her legs around his waist, pulling him into her. He dropped all the defenses in his mind and gave in to the passion. A soft moan from Lara triggered his climax which she matched thrust for thrust until they were both spent and panting in each others arms.

Normally Spock's internal clock was amazingly accurate whether he was calculating the number of hours till a task would be completed or the number of seconds it took for a subordinate to respond to a question.

But in the quiet embrace of this woman he seemed to lose that ability and he found he had no idea how long they lay like this on the floor of her cabin until but the alarm chime from the cockpit brought him to his senses.

He could only look down into her eyes to see that she too was suddenly aware of her surroundings before he rose from atop her body and quickly picked up his garment and sash, swiftly securing his robe and exiting the cabin. He heard a commanding voice coming from the com.

"I repeat, this is the Federation freighter _Kommandor_. Please identify yourself."

Spock reached the control panel in the cockpit and pushed the _voice out_ button.

"This is Commander Spock of the United Federation Ship _Enterprise_, we are marooned, and our vessel is damaged."

"Commander Spock this is Captain Woonlap. We received your emergency beacon and since we were the closest ship we have come to help. Have you any injuries aboard?"

"No Captain, no injuries. We are two aboard, bound for Chromis."

"I see. We will be alongside in about 6 minutes and can dock you into the shuttle bay with a grapple. Will that be sufficient?"

"Most sufficient sir. I would also ask that you contact the Starship _Enterprise_ and let them know we are safe."

"Will do Commander. See you aboard in a few minutes. Woonlap out." The com went silent and for a moment Spock sat in the cockpit trying to decide what his next move should be.

He left the cockpit and moved quickly to his cabin where he put on his torn day uniform, stuffing his robe into the kit bag and tossing it in the small compartment under the sleeping platform. Then he went across the hallway to Lara's quarters.

She was sitting on the chair from which she had earlier ministered to his physical wounds. Dressed in her traveling clothing she again looked serene and dignified, ready to meet her fate. She looked up at him as he entered the cabin.

"Have we been rescued Spock?" He nodded and went to her, kneeling down before her. He took her hands in his, this time welcoming the wave of emotion that passed between them with the touch of their hands.

"Lara, I am deeply sorry if I have behaved in a manner that was…." She pulled her hand away from his and put it to his lips.

"Shhhh. Say no more." Her gaze was cool, the passion they had shared showing only in the slight flush of her cheeks. She stared into his eyes as if she was searching for something. "I thank you for bringing me such comfort. I will never forget this night."

"Nor will I," he said huskily as he kissed her fingertips.

They felt the thud of the docking beam lock onto the _Houdini_. Spock knew he had only seconds in which to say what he was thinking. His mind raced with a plethora of thoughts and feelings he struggled to express.

"I don't know how to say…" he was interrupted by the sound of the hatch of the _Houdini_ opening and voices just out in the corridor.

The Kommondor crew latched on to the _Houdini_ and in minutes Spock and Lara were surrounded by well meaning men and women who only wished to lessen the impact of the perceived ordeal from which they had escaped.

In two more hours they were aboard the Chromis flagship the _Dorclan_ and the treaty negotiations had begun. The _Houdini_ was safely tucked away in their shuttle bay being examined by the Chromis engineers.

The people of Chromis, though amorphous had enough substance to be visible to Spock's naked eye. In deference to his corporality, the treaty negotiations were held around a table with only one chair drawn up to it, his fellow diplomats floating just within visible reality.

His old friend Meshav, the Sulamid ambassador and negotiator supreme, was also in attendance but she stood on one or all of her eight crystal legs beside him, needing no platform on which to sit.

Spock went through the motions of his duty, recording the negotiating points he had been asked to confirm before completing the peace process that would bind the Princess to her new husband.

His host, the Ambassador Kashan was only a representative of the royal family of Chromis but he was clearly pleased with the entire arrangement and said so to Spock and Meshav several times. He explained to Spock that the Princess Lara was already ensconced in her quarters aboard the ship and would be transporting down to Chromis once they reached planetfall.

Spock wanted to see her again, wanted to speak with her one more time though he had no idea what else he could say to her or even if she would want to see him. He knew it was unwise so he kept his peace and within hours the deal for peace was complete, the documents signed and his assignment over.

The Captain of the _Dorclan_ informed him that they had found a weak weld in the port engine's interior wall that had imploded, sending the _Houdini_ tumbling through space. The location of the implosion had caused the damage to the connections for both the guidance controls and the communications array, stranding the ship and her passengers. The weld and resulting damage had been repaired by their engineers and Spock would be able to pilot the small craft back to Federation space where he would rendezvous with the _Enterprise_ in approximately two days.

The moment had arrived when he was to board the _Houdini_ for the return trip to the _Enterprise_ on which he would have the company of Meshav. She would ride on the Enterprise until they reached Starbase 10 where she would go on to her next assignment.

Though Meshav was always entertaining company, Spock wished he could spend the time on the journey back to the _Enterprise_ alone.

Spock sat at the controls once more, checking and rechecking all systems before leaving the shelter of the _Dorclan_. He could not have been treated with any more respect or deference than he had been by the Chromis party but he had had no opportunity to see or speak with Lara once they arrived. He could only imagine what she was experiencing with the celebration of her impending nuptials already in progress.

His thoughts turned again to the beautiful Lara bird whose destiny it was to fly into the sun never to be seen again.

Once underway to the _Enterprise_, Meshav informed him that she would be in her cabin returning messages and making contacts for her next duty. Before she left the cockpit she put one long glass tentacle out and tapped it beside his hand resting on the console.

"Commander Spock," she said in her melodious tinkling voice, "You are not yourself this day." Her round head with protruding hematitic eyes cocked to one side observing him closely. "No harm came to you on this journey." It was not a question, but a statement of fact. Meshav's distinct talent as a shrewd ambassador was her perception of a situation and the parties involved.

"No, my injuries were minor."

"I wasn't referring to your injuries my friend." She gently tapped the razor point of one of her legs directly on his hand. He stared at her.

"A small journey can often result in wonderful things."

"I have nothing to add to that Ambassador except to say, I agree."

In the _Houdini_ Spock went through the same routine of setting controls for auto pilot and after he was satisfied that all was well for the flight to the _Enterprise_, he suddenly felt very tired.

He left the cockpit and headed for his small cabin, deciding to set the alarm for four hours to see if he could sleep into abeyance some of the fatigue of the last two days.

He had dressed so quickly when the Kommondor arrived to save them, he had merely stuffed away the robe he had been wearing when he was with Lara.

Now in the dimly lit cabin he pulled the robe from his kit intending to fold it neatly to properly stow it in his bag. As he lifted the robe from the bag, he saw the sash fall to the floor and bent to pick it up.

Bending over to retrieve it he felt the weight of it in his hands and saw even in the dim light of the cabin that it was not the sash his mother had embroidered for him so long ago. Instead he saw that it was the sash Lara had been wearing around her own waist that he must have picked up by mistake in his haste to cover himself when the rescuers arrived with little warning.

He sat down heavily on the bed holding the sash in his hands. She had forbidden his attempt at an apology. It was illogical that she would prevent him from apologizing for his behavior unless she had no regret of it herself.

Like the bird he had seen fleetingly in his youth, he would never see this Lara again, but he would cherish the encounter with her. He placed the sash carefully in the side pocket of his robe and folded it all into his kit, hoping she might do the same with the sash Amanda had made for him. They were the ties that would indeed bind them together if only in memory.

Then he slept and dreamed of a bright blue bird soaring into the sun till it was transformed into nothing more than light.

Kyt Eubanks

© 2009


End file.
